Burying the Lede: British Royal Family's Finance Report
Who didn't disclose income taxes voluntarily paid? What isn't covered by the Sovereign Grant? All that and more.
Discussing the finances of the British Royal Family is an exhausting endeavor. Questions around financial transparency are met with dismissive answers. Or, more often, silence.
The yearly financial report for the Royal Household came out in late July 2024. Before we get into some common answers from detractors about what this all means, let’s look at a sampling of how the British media covered the report. At the end I’ll include some quick facts about what is in the report.
Most of British Media—Dodging Reporting Like They’re in The Matrix Movie
Daily Mail, always focused on the important things. Bullet points for key takeaways from the report are buried more than halfway down the post. I’d say it’s shocking that Frogmore Cottage is still empty—but it’s exactly the level of petty you’d expect. Since Harry and Meghan departed in 2020, the BRF has used financial pressure, lack of security, etc, to force The Sussexes back. Now it seems like perhaps they want to prevent Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from coming back, as they’ve made it as inhospitable as possible.
I’m sure this headline from The Mirror is comforting to people struggling to find housing, buy food, etc.
It’s the “hard to equate” part, the haziness really around financial transparency and the idea that an influx of funds to the British Royal Family is how you “represent the best of Britain.” What about an influx of funds to the people struggling or improved social safety nets? Surely that is a worthwhile endeavor
What’s astounding about this piece is it’s treated as, yes he’s doing things differently, but look at the good he is doing! William’s team has been setting the stage for a modern, different kind of King. A lack of financial transparency when his father laid out a full cost breakdown doesn’t feel like a good sign.